If you will, we'll be turning
to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. I spoke to one of the brethren
the other day, and my children have asked me and other people
have asked, when's this going to be over? When's this nonsense
going to end? When's this trial going to end? The children of Israel, after
they got out of that slavery, 400 years of slavery there in
Egypt. They walked for 40 years in the
desert. Their shoes never wore out. They
always had manna to eat. A rock followed them, Christ
did, provided them water. Fire by night and a cloud by
day, they were led through that wilderness. So I hope we don't
have 39 and a half years left. But if our shoes don't wear out
in a couple of years, that'll be a good indication, won't it?
But we have a good assurance. We have a good comfort in the
scriptures and the gospel that the Lord's given us. That's what
we've been looking at the last few messages. But this isn't
just linked only between what we're seeing John write in 1
John and what we're seeing Paul write in Romans. It's not just
equal between those two, this comfort and assurance. It's through
all the scriptures. All the scriptures show us this.
Our comfort and assurance comes only from the good news of the
accomplished salvation that's found in Christ Jesus. That's
comforting. That's the good news. That's
assurance because it's done. The message of who Christ is
and what He accomplished on that cross at Calvary, it doesn't
change. It doesn't alter. The comfort
and assurance for those that He did come to save on that cross,
it doesn't change. Because God doesn't change. That
covenant He made is an everlasting covenant. It ain't gonna waver. Now our text tonight is just
one verse. Romans 8 verse 1. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit." I want to look at just a few parts of
that verse. that long sentence. We're going
to break it up in just a few chunks, but the first part I
want us to look at is no condemnation. There is therefore now no condemnation. Why is it good news that we have
no condemnation? What's that mean? Condemnation
means a guilty verdict, to be found guilty. If I was told that
I wasn't guilty of murder, That would be okay news if I'd never
murdered anybody. But if I was a murderer, I killed
a lot of people and I felt very bad for it, and someone told
me there's no guilty verdict, that'd be great rejoicing, wouldn't
it? To know there's no punishment for that crime. But our redemption
goes much deeper than that. It's not just a pardoning. The
believer's sin is removed forever. It's gone. Took away. Men and
women born into this world are born guilty. We're guilty from
our heritage in Adam. We're guilty in our nature by
simply just being born. And we're guilty by the commission
of disobeying God. We actively disobey God. We don't believe on Him. We don't love Him with all of
our heart, mind, and souls. We're not loving our neighbors
as ourselves. Guilty. condemned. There's a verdict
of guilty on us from birth. But to know the liberty of being
freed from that condemnation, being freed from that guilty
verdict, to have great joy in that, we must know first that
it was just, it was right for us to be condemned. We have to
understand that we were guilty. Let's not pretend. The Holy Spirit
must come into our hearts and reveal the sin that we are. Reveal
sin in us. Not the sins we commit, but what
our old man's nature, what our old man's ruler, the desire of
that old man in us. Sin, the noun, not the verb. We've got to be convicted of
sin. All throughout the Scriptures, it's clear that the holy God's
law is unbending and unchanging. Jeremiah told us, Thus saith
the Lord God of Israel, Cursed, Condemned, Guilty, Be the man
that obeyeth not the words of this covenant. Ezekiel wrote
the words of the Lord for us. He said, Behold, all souls are
mine, as the soul of the Father, so also the soul of the Son is
mine. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. It doesn't say the soul that
does three strikes and you're out. The soul that sins a certain
amount, over 50%, more than 10 times, it says, the soul that
sinneth at all must surely die. And that includes all the scriptures. Christ told us, he said, if you
ever answer somebody, if somebody asks you a question, and you
are to say yes and no, yea and nay, let your conversation be
yea and nay, and if not, you're guilty. Has anyone ever said
anything other than yes or no? Guilty. The verdict is guilty. You've got to die. That's what
the Lord's Word says. That's what He tells us. Moses
told us there in Deuteronomy 27, he says, "...cursed, condemned,
guilty, be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law
to do them." If you did everything perfect, from the time you were
a baby, your first breath, and you just didn't agree with the
law. You said, I'll do all of it. I just don't think it's right.
Guilty. Condemned. We're in a predicament,
aren't we? All of mankind is cursed. All of mankind's condemned. And
we have no way to correct the situation. We have no means of
ourselves to fix it. If we honestly see God's perfect
holy law, and we're truthful with ourselves, we can lie to
other people. If he meets us where we are,
in our closets, at home, inside our hearts, whenever we're laying
down at night to go to sleep, and we're honest with ourselves,
we see that we deserve death. That guilty verdict is just.
We're guilty before the Holy Judge, who we've offended, and
that eternal death penalty, that living death, it's just. It's
right. That's what's supposed to happen.
And we cry out with Paul there in Romans 7, O wretched man that
I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death? This condemnation. Who can deliver
me from the sin that I am? Who can pull me out of this miry
pit of corruption? I'm helpless. I cannot clean
the inside of this cup. God's perfect law requires holiness
from the conception to the grave. Who can deliver me? Who can deliver
me? Turn over to Galatians chapter
3. Just a few pages. We've seen
this often lately. The law can't help us, it only
condemns us. It doesn't give life, it only
convicts. Galatians chapter 3 and verse
10. For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse, under the condemnation. For it
is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that
no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident."
That's plain. That's clear. We can't do it.
For the just, those without condemnation, shall live by faith. And the
law is not of faith, but the man that doeth them shall live
in them. Christ hath redeemed us, bought us, purchased us,
from the curse of the law. He's redeemed us from what the
law declares is a curse, sin. How? Being made a curse for us. For it is written, Cursed is
everyone that hangeth on a tree. He who knew no sin was made sin
for us, that we might be made his righteousness. The curse
of sin and the curse of being under the law have been taken
away from us. So much so, the Scripture said
we're dead to sin and we're dead to the law. Now let's turn over
to Romans chapter 7. Let's see that death to the law
one more time. Romans chapter 7 and verse 4.
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by
the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to
him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit
unto God. If we were to go to the graveyard
out here, and we found someone that used to be a murderer, and
we walked up to that grave and we started yelling at that dirt,
And we said, we found new DNA evidence. You killed more people
than what you were put to death for. Get up out of that grave. You've got to go back to jail.
That's crazy, isn't it? Why? He's dead. He's dead to
the law. Let's look at that death to sin. Look back at page there in Romans
6, verse 8. Romans 6, 8, Now if we be dead
with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him,
knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more,
death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he
died unto sin once. But in that he liveth, he liveth
unto God. Likewise, reckon, impute, count,
yourselves also to be dead indeed unto sin." We're dead to sin,
but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now what would
it be like to be dead to sin if there wasn't a law, like before
that law Moses was given? Death still reigns, people still
died, right? They did something wrong, it just wasn't recorded.
If we went to the grave of Robert E. Lee and we screamed and yelled
at that dirt, where he's been buried for 150 years or whatever. And we say that owning slaves
was evil, it was immoral, it's against God, against humanity,
and it's high time that you pay. Now you get on out of that grave,
we're gonna make you pay. What you did was wrong. That'd be crazy, wouldn't it? As far as the world's concerned,
earthly, he's dead to that sin. There was no law for it at the
time. He's dead to it. But thanks be to God, we're not
kept under the curse of the law, and we're not left under that
curse of our sin. We're not ruled by it, not reigned
by it. David told us this in Psalm 103, He hath not dealt
with us after our sins. Is that good news? nor rewarded us according to
our iniquities. For as heaven is high above the
earth, so great is his mercy towards them that fear him. As
far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions
from us." The east is as far away from the west as it can
be. You can go north. We've talked about this before.
You can go north a long way, but eventually you're going to
have to pull and you're going to go south. You can go east as long as you
want to and you're never going to start going west. Forever. It's gone. And loving mercy,
that unbending, unchanging God of heaven and earth has removed
the sin of His children as far as the east is from the west.
It's gone. Let me turn over to Romans chapter
3. How can a holy God be merciful and still be just, there must
be a suitable substitute. One that's not only able, one
that's not only willing, but one that's worthy. A worthy substitute. Christ Jesus the Lord. God in
human flesh. Look here in Romans 3 verse 23.
I'm on the wrong page. For all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation." That's a mercy seat, a bloody
sacrifice, a satisfactory payment. whom God has set forth to be
a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness
for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. To declare, I say at this time,
His righteousness. Here's what He declared when
He came. First, primarily, that He might be just. Christ came to this earth and
primarily declared God's just. He's holy. His law is holy. And then, and the justifier of
him which believeth in Jesus. He's just and the justifier. He's the one that did the work. In all of that, where can I stand
and say, I did a good job? Where can I stand and say, I
picked Jesus. I chose Him first. I let Him do so. I made myself
righteous. God saved me, but I made myself
holy. I sanctified myself. I'm getting more holy, more right
for heaven. What can I say? Look there in verse 27. Where
is boasting then? It's excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law
of faith. Therefore we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. From the
effectual saving blood of Christ, we're justified. That word doesn't
mean just as if I did not sin. That means just not guilty. There
was no crime. It's gone as far as the east
is from the west. He blotted it out. And we boast only in the One
who accomplished that work on our behalf. We have complete
liberty from sin and death in the merit of Christ our Lord.
We have liberty in Christ. Freedom. Look here back in Romans
chapter 8. When is this liberty from death,
this liberty from the law, this liberty from the curse, when
is that going to take place? Right now. Right now. Look here in Romans 8.1. There
is therefore now, right now, no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus. Paul just got through telling
us in chapter 6 his current state, what he was feeling. He talks
about his daily struggle, that battle raging in him. He wants
to do good and he can't. What he don't want to do, that's
what he does do. He shows us his frailty, his inability. While that's going on inside
of Paul, there is no condemnation before God because of Christ.
For us, for believers. And that's going on inside of
us. There's no condemnation before
God because of Christ. When our faith's strong, when
we're just on top of the world, we're in the Word, and we're
looking to Christ, and we're doing just wonderful things,
trying to further the Gospel, there's no condemnation. I was
God because of Christ. And when we're weak, when we're
under heavy sorrow, when we're walking through this world not
acting like believers, there's no condemnation before
God because of Christ. Right now. Whatever time that
is for you, it's right now. It's your His. Our Master came,
He told us in John 5.24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from
death into life. Who is this freedom from the
deserved condemnation for? These ones that are free from
condemnation, those who hath Eternal life, right now. Hath
means you had it yesterday, you got it right now and you'll have
it tomorrow, it ain't going away. Hath. Who's that for? There in Romans 8, 1, There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Now, we'll notice whenever Paul
speaks of his sin, When he speaks those internal struggles between
the old man and the new man, he always uses the first person,
doesn't he? He says, I. I don't do the things I want
to do. I did the things I don't want to do. Me. I. There's a
struggle when he looks in. But whenever Paul speaks to the
blessings of that gracious act of Christ, when he speaks about
the mercies to believers, he uses us. They. Them. There's unity there. We are one with Christ, but we
are one in Christ. Just as much as we're one with
Him, we're one with each other. Paul told us that plan in Galatians,
he said, there's no Jews or Gentiles, there's no bond or free, there's
no male or female, educated or uneducated, tame or wild, We
that are in Christ are one. We are joint heirs with Christ. If I'm a joint heir with Christ
and you're a joint heir with Christ, you and I are joint heirs. We're one. We're the same. We're
related. Turn over to Ephesians 1. We refer to this text often,
but it's good to read along with it. Ephesians 1. Look in verse
3. Ephesians 1.3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Here's how he remains
just and is the justifier. We're put in Christ. Look at
verse 4. According as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according
to the good pleasure of his will. to the praise of the glory of
His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved."
How is it that we are in Christ? If someone's found to be in Christ,
what does that cover? Where does that hit us? What's
that really mean? We were in Him before the world
was made, chosen in Him. We were in Him whenever He was
born, into this world when He opened the womb without sin.
We were in Him when He lived perfectly in this world, in this
flesh, fully honoring God, fully honoring His law, walking perfectly
between all men, on behalf of men and on behalf of God as well.
And we were in Him when He was put on that cross of death and
shame. We were in Him whenever God forsook
Him. The world went dark for three hours. We were in Him when
He died. We were in Him when they laid
Him in that tomb. We were in Him whenever He rose from that
tomb, when He rose from the grave. And we're in Him now as He rules
and reigns and governs everything on this earth, everything in
the universe, sitting at the right hand of God. That's our confession of baptism.
We go to those waters, we confess to the world and our brethren,
Lord, whenever Christ died, I died with Him. He's my righteousness. He's everything to me, my wisdom.
He's my sanctification. When He was buried, I was buried
with Him. And when He rose, I rose. I come out of that grave. We're
declared He's victorious and we were in Him. Now back in our
text there in Romans 8, Because of Christ, we have no condemnation,
and we give all the praise and glory to Him for making us accepted
in our Lord. When we're brought to know that
we deserved eternal damnation, condemnation, being forever cursed
for what we are and for offending the Almighty God when we see
our guilt. And we see that because Christ being made a man for His
people, living perfectly towards man and towards God for His people,
dying for His people as a sinless substitute, providing that full
payment of death for all of His elect children, and that the
benefit to those elect, to them that are in Christ, as Paul writes
here, is not after we do something. It's not after we get better,
after we improve, after we have a trial period. It's not down
the road. It's not way in the future. It's
right now. We have no condemnation right now. Once we know that,
those things have all been made aware to us. We have to see that
liberty in Christ. Do we live like heathens? Can
we go to work the next day and really tell that boss what we
think about him? Do we do that? The result of no condemnation,
not the cause of no condemnation, the result of it is that we walk
in the Spirit, not the flesh. Look here in Romans 8 verse 1.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Walking
in the Spirit and not the flesh is not the means by which we
have no condemnation. It is the result of Christ removing
our condemnation. It's not an action on our part,
it's a reaction on our part. This is the proof that we're
His. Our walk is not for this earth, but it's for the Lord,
for our Savior. What does that mean? What's a
believer's walk? A lot of people wrote a whole
lot of books about that. Something they can get you to do. It means
the journey as a whole, from beginning to end. I don't think
Brother Bob would mind me telling this, using him as an example. But every morning, Bob takes
a walk, don't he? He goes for a couple miles. His
walk that he takes every day, it's not just one quarter. It's
not just one section of pavement. It's not just a block out of
all those blocks that he walks. His walk's the whole thing. That
seems kind of basic, don't it? If we went outside right now
for a walk, if I said, I'm going to go take a walk, and I went
out that door, I took three steps, and I said, I'm done. I'm finished
with my walk. No one with any seriousness would
call that a walk. That's what I call working out
most of the time. Do about three push-ups and I call it done,
don't I? But from the time that the Spirit
convicts us of sin and teaches us of who Christ is until our
last dying breath, until we go home to glory, that's a believer's
walk. the whole time. Brother Henry
used to tell us, there are many times that a believer does not
walk like a believer. Sometimes we limp. Sometimes
we crawl. Sometimes we just simply fall
over. Sometimes we sprint. Sometimes we run real fast. Sometimes
we kind of jog. But no matter what type of movement
the believer is making in that walk, the direction doesn't change. The course doesn't change. Towards
Christ. Towards Christ. We may fall over.
We may stumble. We may have to take a breather.
Towards Christ. That's the walk. And it says
there to walk after the flesh. That's to follow after. Walk
after. You follow the flesh that leads
you. And to walk after the Spirit is to follow the Spirit. The
Spirit leads you. God the Holy Spirit leads His
children along all the way to being conformed to the image
of Christ for eternity. We sing that song, God leads
His little children along. Some through the water, some
through the flood, some through the fire. Some on fiery trials,
but every one of them, all through the blood. If you're made to know your fully
deserved condemnation, that Christ has fully satisfied the justice
and holiness God requires on your behalf, making you His righteousness
because you were made one with Him. That you no longer are led
by the flesh and the things of this world, but you're led by
the Spirit to follow Christ, to love Him, to desire after
Him. Right now, There's no condemnation
from Almighty God to you right now. Tomorrow, there will be
no condemnation for you. Your warfare is over. The battle
is won. Victory is accomplished. Christ
was victorious and will forever be so. It won't be undone. Does
that make you praise Christ? Does that make you bow to Him?
Does that comfort you? It's done. What can I be mad
at? I should never get mad, should
I, baby? I have no reason to be mad. There's
no condemnation. Free! I pray as a blessing to
you.